marrow

¹ American  

[mar-oh] / ˈmær oʊ /

noun

1. Anatomy. a soft, fatty, vascular tissue in the interior cavities of bones that is a major site of blood cell production.

2. the inmost or essential part.

   to pierce to the marrow of a problem.

3. strength or vitality.

   Fear took the marrow out of him.

4. rich and nutritious food.

5. Chiefly British. vegetable marrow.

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marrow ² American  

[mar-oh, mar-uh] / ˈmær oʊ, ˈmær ə /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a partner; fellow worker.

2. a spouse; helpmate.

3. a companion; close friend.

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marrow ¹ British  

/ ˈmærəʊ, -rə /

noun

1. dialect a companion, esp a workmate

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marrow ² British  

/ ˈmærəʊ /

noun

1. the fatty network of connective tissue that fills the cavities of bones

2. the vital part; essence

3. vitality

4. rich food

5. short for vegetable marrow

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marrow Scientific  

/ măr′ō /

1. See bone marrow

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marrow Cultural  

1. The soft, specialized connective tissue that fills the cavities of bones. One kind of bone marrow is responsible for manufacturing red blood cells in the body.

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Other Word Forms

• marrowish adjective
• marrowless adjective
• marrowy adjective

Etymology

Origin of marrow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English marw(e), marwa, Old English mearg, merg; cognate with Dutch merg, German Mark, Old Norse mergr

Origin of marrow¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English marwe, maro(we), “fellow worker, partner,” perhaps from Old Norse margr “many; friendly”

Example Sentences

We see how Paul decides he’d rather, as he puts it, “suck the marrow of what’s left of this amazing life” than wallow.

From Los Angeles Times

Inside the bone marrow are mesenchymal stem cells, which can develop into either bone tissue or fat cells.

From Science Daily

Most stem cells are donated by giving blood at a specialist centre, but in roughly 10% of cases they need to be extracted from bone marrow during a hospital procedure.

From BBC

The preclinical findings show how signals in the gut can trigger a surge of white blood cells from the bone marrow, creating conditions that encourage tumor growth.

From Science Daily

Instead, it acts as a signal that travels through the body to the bone marrow, where immune cells are produced.

From Science Daily